12/26/13

LucasArts was one of the greatest game studios ever bought, but in April 2013 it was announced that its new owners Disney would be closing it.

As the mouse house goes off to degrade the quality of Star
Wars even more, releasing film after film to sell more and more merchandise,
we're taking a fond look back at the glory days of this much-loved studio. What
we know for sure is that there'll never be another company like it again.

Full Throttle

CD-based game distribution gave developers a chance to use music,
voter and rendered cut-scenes in a way that couldn't be done before. Pull
Throttle was the first game from LucasArts, using proper voice actors
(including Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamlll) and a cinematic intro with
proper music.

The game is just as brilliant. Set In a dystopian future
where vehicles have anti-gravity devices to let them hoverthe leader of the Po,
you play Ben, lecats motorcycle gang. It's your job to stop the evil Ripburger from destroying the famous
Corley Motors company by manufacturing mini-vans instead of motorcycles.
Brillantly conceived with a truly cinematic feel to it, Full Thottle is a game that
simply has to be experienced.

Sam & Max Hit the Road

A game concerning the antics of a canine freelance police
detective (read vigilante) and his psychotic bunny side-kick, just shouldn't
work, but LucasArts puled it off. Your job is find the bigfoot, Bruno, and the Giraffe-Necked
Girl, who have escaped the carnival.

A journey through middle America's strangest tourist attractions
awaits, including a visit to the world's largest ball of twine, as you navigate
through the odd world and puzzles of the game. This game is laugh-out-loud
funny and brilliantly odd. A modern
episodic sequel from Telltale Games has been released, but you should play the
original first.

Indiana Jones and
the Fate of Atlantis

Before this
classic series was ruined with Indiana tones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull, fans wanted the fourth film to be based on the Fate of Atlantis game -
with good reason. This point-and-click adventure game captured everything that
was brilliant about Indy: Nazis, a mysterious and long-gone ancient
civilisation, and an adventure that spans the world.

With cinematic storytelling, difficult puzzles and hours of gameplay,
this is a genuine classic.

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

If you ever wanted to be aJedi, Dark Forces II is as close as
you'll get. As well as using all the classic weapons from the films, including
the lightsaber, Dark Forces II gives you Jedi powers.

As you progress in
the game, you can choose which force powers you wish to improve. Powers
are split into three categories: light, dark and neutral. Light powers give you
benevolent abilities such as healing, while dark powers are violent, enabling
you to choke opponents, and neutral powers let you enhance abilities. Choosing your
powers pushes you closer to the light or dark, with two endings depending on
how good or evil your character is.

Even better, you can play the game multiplayer, using the
force to grab power and steal your opponent's weapon, then gun them down with
it.

Knights of the Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is a stunning Star Wars
game. This epic adventure really makes you feel you're part of a galaxy-wide
conflict. In this RPG, you and your team of Jedi Knights, Wookies, space
buccaneers and sarcastic droids travel from planet to planet, meeting an
endless variety of characters.

In many ways, the game is properly old school. Combat looks real-time
but is turn-based behind the scenes, with the computer rolling for each attack
and defence, and adding modifiers for weapons and armour. You must balance your
skills with those of your companions to prevail, and make good use of items, drugs
and, later on, Jedi powers.

The game has it all: stunning locations, piles of weapons
and armour, an Intricate plot and superb characterisation and voice acting.
It's £7 on Steam, and you need to play it.

Grim Fandango

While most adventure games have a light-hearted tone to them,
Grim Fandango is different. Set in the Land of the Dead, it's a film-noir take
on the point-and-click adventure game. In the game world, new souls all make
their way to the Ninth Underworld, but good souls are given a fast ticket,
while bad souls have to take a four-year journey. You play Manny Calavera, a
soul ‘travel agent', who must investigate why certain good souls are having
their express tickets stolen.

This was the first LucasArts game to use 3D graphics and the
only game to have a truly adult plot. A triumph of plot, style and storytelling,
Grim Fandango should be played by everyone.

X-Wing vs Tie Fighter

Who didn't watch Star Wars and want to fly the ships for real?
The original X-Wing game allowed you to get in the cockpit of the Rebel Alliance's iconic fighter,
but X-Wing vs Tie Fighter was a vast improvement.

For starters, you could fly all the missions from both perspectives,
as a rebel or as part of the empire.

However, the fun really started if you had
friends you could get together, as you could fly in a squadron. This was a truly exhilarating experience and,
given today's internet connections, we just wish someone would make a follow-up.

Zak McKracken and
the Alien Mindbenders

This is another classic point-and-click adventure game. This
time, you play Zak McKracken, a writer who must get to Mars and defeat the
Caponians, who are trying to reduce the intelligence of everybody On Earth. It’s
a complicated game; not only do you control Zak, but you can also switch and
play Annie Larris, a scientist, and Melissa China and Leslie Bennett, who are
currently on Mars.

Puzzles often require a collaborative effort, by making each
character perform a task. It's breathtakingly brilliant, and marks the start of
complicated, in-depth and thoughtful point-and-click adventure games.

Day of the Tentacle

Day of the Tentacle, the sequel to Maniac Mansion, was one
of the first adventure games to use voice actors, adding to the richness of the experience. In the game, your job is to
play Bernard Benoulli, Hoagie and Laverne, and stop the evil Purple Tentacle
from taking over the world.

Time travel plays a key role, with the three main characters
sent to different time periods. This makes for interesting gameplay, as performing
an action in the past with one character affects the future of another. It's
this level of complexity that makes solving the puzzles a real challenge.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge

LucasArts popularised the point-and-click adventure, and
there's no greater game than this. The follow-up to The Secret of Monkey island,
LeChuck's Revenge sees our hero, Guybrush Threepwood, face off against the dreaded
ghost pirate once more.

It's bigger and better than its predecessor in every way,
with a huge game world, devious puzzles, laugh-out-loud puzzles and a killer
plot. The 2010 special edition, which updated the sound and graphics, is now available on
Steam, so this is the perfect time to give this classic game a revisit.